10 pieces of bad advice from a wannabe poet (who happens to be a plebe)

(Inspired by Mitski)

By 4cl E-

1. If you kiss the floor and your knees touch the ground, you’re doing it wrong. The only way you know you’re not cheating is when you kiss the floor and taste your sweat and every possible hope that the next thing your upper class will say is “‘tion!”
2. The world is ugly. Let it be ugly. Log roll in your duty uniform and perform push ups in summer white. Get bathed in the sun with your black shoes in fleet formation. Forget all of your basic loads but your black pen and handkerchiefs. Do ugly things that you’ll regret doing, instead of doing pretty things and regret never doing it.
3. Greet every person you see, whether you’re running up the charlie forest or marching in gala uniform under the heat of the sun. You do feel heavy but you have no idea that the person you just passed by had a bad day. A little greeting won’t hurt.
4. You’re allowed to choose the lesser of two evils. Bad coping mechanisms are better than death. The goal is not to die.
5. One day, something you love is going to die or go away when you’re a hundred thousand miles away. There’s not going to be anything you can do, and it’s going to hurt for a long time. I can’t fix it, and I can’t make it hurt less, I’m sorry.
6. Magic exists. Not in santa or in fairies, but in sympathetic upperclassmen, kababs, early taps, even more sympathetic instructors, “tropa treatment” from an intimidating senior, admin time, kind squadmates, ice cream Wednesdays, double viand, at ease, “carry on”, spare time. Good listeners. Greater friends. Brotherhood. Camaraderie. That’s when you know magic is real.
7. Hold in your tears. Choke on your saliva. Taste your sweat and tears. Feel that block in your throat. Do not ever let them see you cry. Scrunch your eyebrows. You’re tougher than you think you are. Do not let them see you cry. Shout it out loud. Be angry. Do not let them see you cry. You’re stronger than you think you are.
8. Love like you’re dying. Because we are dying, we are dying and living and we are a miracle and a curse and we have no time and every second in the world. Hold hands, illegal open call, hold hearts, fuck fight and flee together, but live and love. like the world’s on fire.
9. Give them a hug, whoever they are. Hug them till there’s no space for air. Hug them till tears spring from their eyes. Sometimes, all we ever really need is a hug.
10. Whatever you do, never, ever, take the advice of a poet.

photos are not mine. credits go to the owners.